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Madigan thrives in role as research center

Department of Clinical Investigation rivals any major university, officials say

Capt. Jonathan Stallings, Ph. D., is proud of the research work being done in the Department of Clinical Investigation. /J.M. Simpson

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Since the inception of the Madigan Healthcare System in 1944, one of its points of excellence is its state-of-the-art research platform. At the center of that platform is the Department of Clinical Investigation, or DCI, a premier basic medical research center.

"We can rival any major university in research capability," said Capt. Jonathan Stallings, who leads the Research Operations Service.

With 5,200 square feet devoted to laboratory equipment, Stallings noted that the equipment totals several million dollars in worth.

"We put everything to work in this lab," he added.

The department's mission breaks down into three major areas: Graduate Medical Education, or GME; Institutional Review Board, or IRB; and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, or IACUC.

Within the GME are 275 trainees - which include interns, residents and fellows - and 32 training programs.

The undergraduate medical educational program works with almost 550 medical students per year and will add two new fellowships in 2011. Specific to the DCI, it focuses on general surgery/internal medicine, maternal fetal medicine, reproductive endocrinology/infertility, and traumatic brain injury/trauma research.

To accomplish this, the DCI has added a number of highly educated specialists that Stallings likes to call intellectual capital.

Along with the department's intellectual abilities, it also has a top-notch, highly educated staff that works with Madigan personnel in the pursuit of research excellence. Its focus is on the development of intramural research that will ultimately transition into GME projects.

These projects provide an intensive education in translational research - work that moves from basic to clinical research - for medical students by creating an interactive training environment between residents, fellows and professional scientists.

"What we want is for a student to come in with an idea," continued Stallings. "We sit down, map out the feasibility of the idea, develop an experiment, execute and then write and publish the results."

Stallings and his colleagues support a mentorship-based research program by providing scientific guidance to GME students and staff with development of research proposals, optimization of basic science and clinical protocols, and the preparation of manuscripts for peer reviewed publications.

"Our mission is first education," said Stallings.  "In line with that, we also want and seek more of a research mission."

While the department conducts a great deal of basic research, it also seeks to broaden its scope into clinical research and its inherent publication.

Currently, there are approximately 25 projects underway.  With more published work, the chances of gaining more grant money is increased.

Connected with the educational purpose that Stallings and his colleagues stress to Madigan's medical personnel is the idea of mentorship.

"I want to sit down with a resident or fellow and then walk them through all phases of research," said Stallings. "Mentoring is the key, and we want to pass that on." 

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